The Louisville women’s basketball team is gearing up for a big matchup on the road as they take on the 13th-ranked Hokies (13-3, 3-3) on Thursday from Cassell Coliseum. The Cardinals (13-5, 4-1) are coming off a 2-0 home week where they defeated Georgia Tech and Pitt, bringing their conference record to 4-1, just half a game behind first place Duke.
The Cardinals are heading into this matchup as one of the top shooting teams in the ACC and the country. They rank second in the conference and 21st nationally with a 46.5 shooting percentage on the season, and in conference games, they rank first in the ACC with a 47.3 percent shooting clip. Additionally, the Cardinals have been shooting well behind the arc in ACC games, tied for second in the league with a 40.5 percent mark through the first five games.
Leading the way for the Cardinals is Hailey Van Lith, who has been a force in conference play this season. She ranks second in the league with 21.8 points per game, having scored 18 or more points in all five games and 20 or more in four of the five. Van Lith also ranks fourth in the ACC with 4.4 assists per game in conference games and is sixth in field goal percentage (51.2%).
Senior guard Chrislyn Carr has also been a standout for the Cardinals, hitting two clutch threes in the final minutes of their most recent win against Pitt. She tied a season high with five made threes against the Panthers, scored 16 points and had four assists. Carr leads the ACC and ranks 10th nationally with a 46.9 shooting percentage behind the arc, and also leads the ACC with 46 made threes this season.
The Cardinals will look to build off their strong shooting performance as they face a tough test in the 13th-ranked Hokies. Tune in to the ACC Network Extra on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET to catch all the action.
ABOUT THE HOKIES
Virginia Tech is 13-3 on the season and 3-3 in ACC play this season. The Hokies are ranked #13 in the AP poll and also #13 in the coaches poll this week. This will be just the third ranked opponent the Cardinals have faced this season. The Hokies are one of the best scoring defenses in the conference as they rank second in the ACC and allow just 55.4 points per game. They are third in the league in three-point percentage (.337), one spot behind the Cardinals who rank second in the ACC (.352). The Hokies are also third in the league in three-point percentage defense, limiting opponents to 26.1 percent from behind the arc.
Series History – This will be the 42nd meeting all-time between the two schools and the series dates all the way back to the 1980-81 season. The Cardinals lead the all-time series 24-17 and have won the nine previous matchups against the Hokies. The Cardinals have won every matchup against Virginia Tech since they joined the conference in the 2014-15 season. Louisville is 9-10 in games played in Blacksburg but have won the previous four matchups held there.
Last Meeting (Feb. 20, 2022) – Hailey Van Lith scored 20 points and Emily Engstler had 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead No. 3 Louisville to a 70-56 victory over No. 23 Virginia Tech on Sunday. Coming off a one-point loss Thursday at No. 22 North Carolina, the Cardinals (23-3, 14-2) dominated from the start. They led 13-4 less than five minutes into the contest and never trailed against the Hokies (20-7, 12-4). The win was a big one for the Cardinals as they clinched a double-bye for next month’s Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. The Hokies, with a win, could have passed Louisville for the second seed. Van Lith, a sophomore guard, made 8-of-17 shots and committed just one turnover. Engstler posted her eighth double-double of the season as the senior wing scored 19 points, one point off her season-high, and grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds. Kianna Smith added 11 points in the victory.
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